Air-compressing apparatus.



L. B. DE CAMP.

Am- COMPRBSSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAR. 7I 1907. 97.1, 175. Patented Sept 27, 1910.

- H/iwues UNITED LYlVIAN B. DE CAMP, POF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

AIR-COMPRESSING- APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYMAN B. DE CAMP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of California,have invented new and useful Air- Compressing Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to means for supplying air pressure in apparatusdesigned for burning for domestic and other uses, light distillates andother oils.

In the satisfactory burning of light distillate oils for domestic use itis necessary that some means be provided whereby the oil may besubjected to a uniform Huid pressure, and various means have beendevised for applying fluid pressure for this purpose. lVhere a steamboiler is available such pressure has been supplied by connecting theburner with such boiler, the steam therefrom being used to vaporize theoil. Air under pressure has also been used for such purpose.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide means forsupplying to burners oils that require to be vaporized or atomized atthe burner in order to elfect complete combustion in an economical andsatisfactory manner and to so construct said means that they, wheninstalled, will make available to the cook or other attendant areliable, constant, unvarying iiuid pressure for acting upon the oil toeffect complete combustion.

It is an object of this invention to provide such pressure by means inwhich the liability of getting out of order is reduced to a minimum, andthis I accomplish by connecting a shallow compressed air tank with asource of high hydraulic pressure, and providing al motor of sufficientpower to force the air into such tank against said high pressure, sothat the operation of the motor may be at comparatively long intervalsof time, and the variation of pressure in the compressed air tank willbe negligible owing to the slight rise and fall of the water in suchtank, which rise and fall is made to operate to turn on and off thepower from the motor in any well-known way.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view partly in section, showing anair-compressing apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlargeddetail of the power-controlling Speeicaton of Letters Patent.

Application led January 7, 1907.

Patented Sept. 27, 1910. Serial No. 351,264.

means shown in Fig. 1. A dierent form of connection 17 is shown.

G is an air compressor.

7 is an air pressure tank connected with the main S of a high pressurewater system by means of a pipe 9 controlled by valve 10.

l1 is a motor connected by belt 12 to drive the air compressor 6 andconnected with the source of power indicated by conductors 13, la.Power-controlling means comprising a switch 15 is provided to turn thepower on and oi the motor.

16 is a float in the air pressure tank 7 connected loosely by connection17 and rod 1S with switch 15 to operate the same, to turn on and off thepower as the water rises and falls respectively in the air tank.

19 is an air pipe connecting the air compresser 6, the air pressure tank7 and the apparatus for receiving and using the air.

2O and 2l designate two check valves between the air compressor 6 andthc compressed air tank 7 to prevent back flow of air pressure and toinsure satisfactory open tion.

22 designates a primary air controlling valve between the compressed airtank 7 and the air receiver by which the iow of air to the burner may belimited and regulated for said operation with a determined pressurewhich will be afforded by the practically steady pressure of the watermain.

24- is a cut-olf valve between the compressed air tank 7 and thecheck-valve 21 to maintain the pressure of air in case of disconnectionsfor repairs between said tank and the air compressor.

25 is a ball-cock between the air pipe 19 and the compressed-air tank 7to avoid any liability of any water being -carried over from thecompressed-air tank into the air pipe.

The rod 1S has a head 2G on which the float 1G rests when there islittle or no water in the tank. 27 is a stuliing-box through which therod 1S passes from the inside of the tank to the switch 15. Thisstuffing-box serves the double purpose of preventing escape of waterfrom the tank 7 and affording friction to prevent said rod 18 frommoving by the force of gravity, so that when the rod has been drawn upinto the switchclosing position it will remain in that position untilforce is applied to move it downward and the rod will thus be heldnormally stationary by the stuffing-box, except when external force isapplied to move it from or to switch-opening or switch-closing position.

In practice, after the apparatus has been installed, the valve 10 stillbeing closed to prevent water from the main 8 from entering the tank 7,the float 16 will rest upon the head 26 of the rod 18 and the switchwill thus be opened. The valve 22 may then be closed and the valve 24Copened. Then the attendant may close the switch 15, thus putting themotor 11 and air compressor 6 in operation, whereupon the air will becompressed in the tank 7 sufliciently to counterbalance the pressure inthe waterdnain 8.

As the compressed air in the tank is sufficient to exclude the waterfrom the main body thereof for the time being, the float 1G holds theswitch open. As the air thusstored becomes diminished the water from themain will enter the tank, thus maintaining a constant pressure therein,and at the same time lifting the float 16 in the usual manner until theconnection 17 is drawn taut and the rod 18 is brought into the raisedposition shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the switch will be closed and thepower again turned on the motor to drive the air compressor. lVhen thishas occurred the motor will continue to operate until the compressed airin the tank has driven out the water suliiciently to allow the float 16to force the rod 18 down into the switch-opening position, whereupon thepower will be cut off from the motor and will remain cut off until thecharge of air has been again sufficiently exhausted to allow the ioat todraw the rod 18 up to close the switch as before.

In my practice I have used an air tank having a depth as great aseighteen inches, in connection with a main in which the water pressurewas approximately sixty pounds to the square inch, and with theinvention thus applied the air pressures supplied were perfectly adaptedto operate the burner in a thoroughly satisfactory manner without theliuctuations and inconvenience attendant upon the former oil-burningappliances.

It is apparent that the air pipe 19 may be connected with other burners,not shown, and that the number of burners in the system supplied fromthe air-tank 7 may be unlimited within the capacity of the aircompressor. It is also apparent that means other than the electric motorshown may be used for operating the air compressor, and also thatdifferent forms of air compressors may be employed without departingfrom the spirit of this invention. It is also to be understood thatwhere a water-main is not available, any hydraulic apparatus affordingsufficient pressure as compared with the depth of the air tank, may besupplied to take the place of the water-main.

In case the air compressor at any time fails to operate, or the air intank 7 becomes exhausted so as to allow water to enter the dome 28, thefloat-valve or ball-cock 25 operates to close the small air outlet fromthe dome and thus excludes water from the pipe 19 and prevents floodingof the house. By locating the float-valve or ball-cock 25 in a dome 28above the air-tank 7, and connecting the dome with the tank and withpipe 19 by nipples 29, 30, the same does not interfere with filling thetank with water to completely drive out the air, and the dome may bereadily detached and the caps 31 thereof may be unscrewed to adjust orrepair the cock.

In Fig. 2 the connection between the float 16 and the rod 18 consists ina headed rod 17 which extends loosely through the float 16, so that whenthe ioat is first moved upward it does not operate to lift the switchrod 18 until the space between the head of the rod and the top of thefloat 16 has been covered. Then the float operates to lift the rod 18and switch 15 to complete the circuit.

That I claim is 1. The combination, of an air compressor, a pressuretank connected with the main of a water system, such main, a motorconnected to drive the air compressor, a source of power to operate themotor, power-controlling means to turn power on and off the motor, afloat in the tank connected to operate said power-controlling means andmeans to turn on and off the power as the water rises and falls in thepressure tank, an air pipe connecting the air compressor, and air tank,air check means between the compressor and air tank, and al valvedoutlet from the tank.

2. The combination, of an air pipe, a tank connected with the air pipe,means for supplying air under high pressure to said air tank, hydraulicmeans for counterbalancing said pressure, a switch, a rod forcontrolling said switch, a float carried by the hydraulic pressure foroperating the rod, to close the switch when the float is elevated and toopen the switch when the float is depressed, and means for holding therod normally stationary.

3. An air-compressing apparatus comprising a pressure-tank adapted to beconnected with a. source o-f water-pressure, an air-compressordischarging into the pressure-tank, an electric-motor for operating theair-compressor, a switch-rod slidingly mounted through a bottom of thepressure-tank, electric connections so that the switch-rod opens andcloses the circuit, and a float in the pressure-tank for operating theswitch-rod.

4. An air-compressing apparatus comprising an air-pipe, a pressure-tankconnected to the air-pipe, means for producing hydraulic pressure in thetank, an air-compressor discharging into the tank, an electric-motor foroperating the air-compressor, a switch-rod slidingly mounted in a bottomof the tank to open and close the electric circuit, and a float in thetank for operating the switchrod.

5. In an air-compressor, a pressure-tank, means for producing hydraulicpressure in the tank, an air-compressor discharging into the tank, anelectric-motor for controlling the air-compressor, a switch-rodslidingly mounted through the bottom of the tank to make and break theelectric circuit, a loat for elevating the switch-rod to close theelectric circuit, an air-pipe leading from the pressure-tank, and afloat-valve for controllingl the air-pipe.

G. In an air-compressing apparatus, a pressure-tank, a switch-rodslidingly mounted vertically through the bottom of the pressure-tank; afloat, collapsible means for connecting the float to the switch-rod in amanner to permit lost motion between the float and the switch-rod sothat the float may rise and fall to the extent of the lost motionWithout moving the switch-rod, and so that the buoyancy of the floatupon the Water will raise the switch-rod and close the switch; and theweight of the float upon the switch-rod when the water recedes willlower the switch-rod and open the switch.

7. In an air-compressor, a pressure-tank, means for producing hydraulicpressure in the tank, an air-compressor discharging into the tank, anelectric-motor for operating the air-compressor, a. switch-rod slidinglymounted through the bottom of the tank to make and break the electriccircuit, a float for elevating' the switch-rod to close the electriccircuit, a dome for the tank, an airpipe leading from the dome, and afloatvalve controlling the air-pipe and located in the dome.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los AngelesCalifornia this 21st day of December, 1906.

LYMAN B. DE CAMP.

In presence of- JAMES R. ToWNsEND, BEULAI-I ToWNsEND.

